Meet our NUMs: Lidia from Day of Surgery and Possum Unit!

Meet our NUMs: Lidia from Day of Surgery and Possum Unit!

Meet Lidia, our NUM of Possum and Day of Surgery! Lidia tells us about seeing the Queen when the new hospital opened and how her love for travel could have taken her down a different career path.

What makes your ward and the patients you care for different from other wards?

The Day of Surgery and Possum Unit cares for children of all ages requiring elective or emergency operations. Our unit allows a child to be admitted, operated on and discharged within the same day or within 48 hours post operatively. We are dedicated to providing the highest quality, professional, personalised care to our families and patients.

Tell us about your RCH journey.

I started my nursing career in 2004 as a new graduate at the RCH. I worked as a clinical nurse specialist in the burns, plastics, general surgical and urology unit for eight years prior to transitioning into the new hospital in 2011. I have worked as an Associate Unit Manager in the Possum unit until 2016 when I was appointed a Nurse Unit Manager of the Day of Surgery & Possum Unit.

Talk us through what a typical day looks like.

Every day is very different as it depends on the surgical demand of the hospital. I work very closely with the perioperative unit managers to facilitate the flow of patients preoperatively, intraoperatively and postoperatively. My day starts with connecting with my staff and accessing the surgical demand for the day and the needs of the patients and their families. I attend multiple meetings during the day to ensure the operational needs of the unit and hospital are met.

What is the most rewarding thing about your current role?

The most rewarding part of my role is being part of the perioperative team within RCH. Together we all strive to provide family centred and culturally respectful care to all our patients. As well as advocating for patients and their families.

What is your favourite RCH memory or achievement?

My most memorable memory was seeing Her Majesty the Queen officially open the new Royal Children’s Hospital in 2011.

In five words, tell us what you love about your work?

Delivering excellence in paediatric healthcare.

If you weren’t a nurse, what would you be doing instead?

I have always loved to travel and explore the world and so I dreamed of one day becoming a flight attendant. Once I finished high school, however, I thought it would be best for me to study first to ensure that I would have a degree behind me and explore other options later in life if I decided to choose a different career. I have always enjoyed helping others and so a nursing degree interested me the most. Upon completion of my degree, my application at the RCH was accepted and the start of my nursing career began. I have never looked back.

What attracted you to working at the RCH?

The Royal Children’s Hospital is the best paediatric hospital in the world and its outstanding reputation was what enticed me to apply upon the completion of my degree. I wanted to be able to make a difference within paediatrics and I felt that The Royal Children’s Hospital would give me the best opportunity to do so through professional and educational development and ongoing support within the leadership team and my team of colleagues. Within the first few years of my employment I felt that I had become a part of a family and was given many opportunities to build upon my skills and professional experience.

Can you tell us something about yourself that your staff might be surprised to learn?